The Diversity, Racial Equity, and Inclusion (DREI) Research Evaluator will report to NORC’s Vice President and Director of the Center on Equity Research. The Evaluator will be a key member of the Center and focused on evaluating NORC’s work to use and promote its DREI principles across all departments and centers.

Using metrics, benchmarking data, and best practices research, the DREI research evaluator will analyze information, review insights, monitor and evaluate programs and initiatives across NORC, and prepare data for stakeholder consumption. The DREI research evaluator must be adept at turning data into meaningful narratives that are cohesive, clear, and actionable.

This role also serves as liaison and collaborator with NORC’s Office of DREI and with internal/external partners on various projects as required and provides statistical and programming support for special projects as needed. The DREI research evaluator will implement strategies to achieve NORC's goals related to advancing DREI principles for the organization.

The position can be based in either our Chicago or Bethesda offices with a hybrid work from home schedule (i.e., part remote, part in-office).

Diversity, Racial Equity, and Inclusion (DREI) is one of NORC’s top strategic priorities, as a moral and ethical imperative central to the organization’s mission and essential for NORC’s long-term success.

The creation of the Center on Equity Research (CER) reflects the organization’s deep commitment to DREI across three pillars – people, culture, and research. The Center advances equity through the development, implementation, and dissemination of high-quality inclusive and equitable social science research and methods. The Center focuses on expanding culturally responsive research, engaging community, building partnerships, and embedding equity principles in social science research across a range of activities and departments.

The DREI research evaluator will report to NORC’s Vice President of the Center on Equity Research and is a key member of the Center on Equity Research. Using metrics, benchmarking data, and best practices research, the DREI research evaluator analyzes information, reviews insights, monitors and evaluates programs and initiatives, and prepares data for stakeholder consumption. The DREI research evaluator is adept at turning data into meaningful narratives that are cohesive, clear, and actionable.

This role serves as department liaison and collaborator with internal/external partners on various projects as required and provides technical support for projects as needed. Implements strategies to achieve the goals for the organization and Diversity Equity & Inclusion.

• Work cross-organizationally to track, evaluate, and safeguard continued progress of all NORC projects and initiatives. Prepare timely and accurate quarterly and annual reports; and collaborate with departments to gather and analyze statistical information.
• Conduct research to provide insight on the company’s performance trends and identify target ranges and benchmarks using publicly available industry and system data.
• Perform in-depth data analytics, including quantitative, statistical, and comparative analysis, to determine patterns and recognize trends. Identify and recommend programmatic and process improvements.
• Develop and create questionnaires, reports, and presentations. Translate data into written reports, tables, graphs, and charts (including developing creative data visualizations and dashboards to illustrate key findings); interpreting data results to provide written commentary that articulates pertinent findings.
• Create tracking templates and communications that support strategies to address DREI priorities and concerns.
• Stay current on DREI trends, best-practices, training, and communication tools.
• Working closely with various team members on multiple concurrent projects.

Reporting for Business Leaders:

• Provide periodic progress updates on items identified in the DREI Strategic Framework and Action Plan for business leaders. Develop reporting structure, cadence, and mechanisms (i.e., dashboards) in collaboration with the CER Vice president and the Office of DREI.
• Report feedback garnered through meetings, surveys, formal and informal conversations, and assessments.

Strategic Operations and Project Management:

• Oversee the monitoring and evaluation of NORC projects and initiatives independently. Collaborate with key stakeholders, organizational partners, and vendors on strategic goals.
• Support development of CER and the Office of DREI projects and initiatives, liaise with the Office of Financial Management and Analysis, and manage resources and budgets effectively to meet stated goals.

Data-Driven Decision Making:

• Review, record, and use stakeholder feedback, data, and analytics to monitor and measure the effectiveness of internal/external NORC projects and initiatives including those outlined in the DREI Strategic Framework and Action Plan to ensure use of inclusive and equitable research methods and practices. Recommend enhancements and implement strategies to ensure the ongoing success of NORC’s projects and initiatives.
• Collaborate with senior business and key stakeholders to accurately capture and relay findings related to such data and analytics.

• Bachelor's Degree is required. Master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum three (3) years of related experience with strategic initiative project management, process and performance improvement, data analytics, and reporting metrics required.
• Three (3) years of solving problems of moderate to advanced complexity; and proven ability to identify root cause, interpret data and resolve issues.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Experience using data and analytics to develop, execute, measure, and show the effectiveness of projects and initiatives using statistical and data visualization tools such as Excel, SAS, SPSS, NVIVO, MaxQDA, and Tableau.
• Reputation Management: Strong understanding of reputation management. Confidence in recommending, developing, and incorporating strategies that will protect and build the Office of DREI’s reputation with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong Communication Skills: Experience effectively communicating timeline, tasks, budget, deliverables, challenges, and solutions to various audiences and stakeholders.
• Critical Thinking and Change Agility: Analytical thinking, problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to identify the root causes and key obstacles behind issues or needs, consider stakeholder reactions, pivot, and implement solutions.
• Project Management: Provide oversight to multiple projects simultaneously; organizing projects into smaller tasks; sequencing activities for maximum efficiency; delegating responsibilities; estimating and managing time and budget required to complete tasks; identifying issues and adapting plans as needed while remaining committed to project deadlines and timelines. Experience working with stakeholders, business leaders, external partners, and vendors is required.
• Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. 

The pay range for this position is $67,714 - $101,570. The budgeted range for this role is: $67,714 - $90,000.

This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment  
• Dental and vision insurance 
• A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program 
• Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance
• Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

NORC’s Approach to Equity and Transparency 

Pay and benefits transparency helps to reduce wage gaps. As part of our commitment to pay equity and salary transparency, NORC includes a salary range for each job opening along with information about eligible benefit offerings. At NORC, we take a comprehensive approach to setting salary ranges and reviewing raises and promotions, which is overseen by a formal Salary Review Committee (SRC). 

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

NORC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values and actively seeks diversity in the workforce. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other legally protected characteristics.

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